Palm Sunday

I. Jesus comes to _______ (Matthew 20:29-34)

II. Jesus comes as the _______ king (Matthew 21:1-11)

A. He is in _______ (v. 1-3)

B. He fulfills _______ (v. 4-8)

C. He comes to ____ (v. 9-11)

Jesus as we want Him to be:

1. Jesus the _________

2. Jesus the ______

3. Jesus the _____ in a bottle

4. Jesus the _______ agent

5. Jesus the _______

III. Jesus comes to be ______ (Matthew 21:14-16)

Who is Jesus? What Scripture passages support your answer?

Read Matt. 20:29-34. How does the crowd feel about the two blind men?

How does Jesus feel about the two blind men? What do we learn about the

nature of discipleship after the blind men see?

How does Jesus show he is in control in Matthew 21:1-3? How does Jesus’

control give you comfort in your life?

Read Zechariah 9:10-12.

Daniel Doriani says, “When the king comes, the Lord will remove chariots,

warhorses, and battle bows from Jerusalem. He will proclaim peace to the

nations because of his covenant with Israel. Jerusalem must rejoice, for

her king is coming, gently, peacefully, and ready to rule the nations ‘from

sea to sea’ (Zech. 9:10–12). Matthew cites the prophecy of the king’s

gentle ride on a donkey but omits the prophecy of a rule from sea to sea.

Perhaps it is not yet time for Christ to manifest his rule throughout the

world. So he presents himself as a peaceful King.”

Daniel Doriani says, “When the crowd calls Jesus ‘Son of David,’ they

imagine a king like David, destroying Israel’s foes, liberating Israel from

Rome. A prayer from Jesus’ era asked God to raise up a royal Son of

David as Messiah ‘to destroy the unrighteous rulers, to purge Jerusalem

from Gentiles,’ and to rule in righteousness. Most of the crowd is

misguided. Their hope for military victory through Jesus probably leads

some of them to turn from praise to calls for his blood within days.”

Three ways to declare Jesus as my King:

Words

The best way to declare Jesus as King is to share the gospel. Paul tells the

church in Thessalonica that despite opposition and suffering he was

“emboldened to speak the gospel” (1 Thess. 2:2).

Declare Jesus as King by how we speak, what we say and practice restraint.

Read James 1:19; 3:2; Colossians 4:6. How do these verses instruct us to

use our words? How will you apply these passages this week?

Actions

Read James 1:22; Matt. 28:20a; 1 John 1:6; 2:3-4.

What do these verses tell us about the importance of actions?

Thoughts: When an impure thought or temptation surfaces what should we do take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). Read 1 Cor. 13:11. What does Paul say about how he once thought? What does it mean to give up childish ways? This is in the context of love! If you struggle to love others as God has loved you, ask God to help you grow up in the faith.

There are many ways we want Jesus to be as we want him to be.

Jesus the therapist

Jesus the advisor

Jesus the Genie in a bottle

Jesus the insurance agent

Jesus the defender

How can these be a distortion of who Jesus really is?

8. Read Matthew 16:13-28. After Peter declares Jesus is the Messiah,

the Son of the Living God he begins to tell his disciples he will go to

Jerusalem to die (v. 21). Why did Peter protest? What does Jesus’

demand of his disciples in v. 24-26? How will you apply this calling this

week?

9. Read Matthew 21:14-16. How do the children in the temple put the

religious leaders to shame? What is their response in v. 15b-16? Do

you see why they hated him so much and why they wanted to put him

to death? For further reading this week, read Jesus’ stinging

accusations of the religious leaders in Matthew 23.

10. Who is Jesus? Read Isaiah 9:6-7; Matt. 21:44; 1 Peter 2:4-8.